11th in a series exploring the April 25-27 NFL draft

This group of kickers is very average. Front office men expect two or three to be drafted, none higher than the late rounds. A number of others will sign as free agents and get a look.

There is not a star punter prospect in this year's draft as there was in 2012 in Bryan Anger, who the Jaguars took in the third round. It is unlikely any will be drafted before the sixth or seventh round this year.

Kickers

1. Caleb Sturgis, Florida, 5-10, 188: One kicking coach rates him as highly as he rated Vikings 2012 sixth-round pick Blair Walsh, who made All-Pro as a rookie. Sturgis is sound mechanically and has a pretty big leg. He can kick long field goals and make clutch kicks. As a kickoff man, he can get touchbacks. He has a back issue teams are checking.

2. Dustin Hopkins, Florida State, 6-2, 193: He is a money kicker who is pretty steady. He has nailed some long ones. Hopkins kicks a high ball that spins. That can be a problem in a windy environment. Hopkins' kickoffs usually find the end zone.

3. Brett Maher, Nebraska, 6-0, 186: He handled field goals, kickoffs and punting duties in college. He subsequently was a bit inconsistent. He has good leg strength. One kicking coach said Maher might be able to improve if he concentrates on kicking and gives up punting. He might take some time to develop.

4. Sam Martin, Appalachian State, 6-0, 206: This is the sleeper who has gained momentum in the kicker/punter class. And he could be considered at either position. Martin handled both duties in college. He has a powerful leg, and was pretty accurate on field goals. His technique is pretty good. He went to a small school and kicked in high altitudes, so he will have a major adjustment. "The fear is what will he do in front of 75,000 on opening day?" said one veteran special teams coach.

Others

Anthony Cantele, Kansas State

Nick Tausch, Notre Dame

Brandon McManus, Temple

Brett Baer, Louisiana-Lafayette

Dan Conroy, Michigan State

Punters

1. Ryan Allen, Louisiana Tech, 6-2, 229: The lefty has two Ray Guy Awards in his trophy case. Given his size and leg strength, he has the most upside of any punter in the class, according to one kicking coach. He has experience as a directional punter and has kicked in different kinds of weather.

2. Brad Wing, Louisiana State, 6-3, 205: He's Australian, and a rugby style punter. Scouts like the lefty's size and leg strength. He tends to kick low balls that go for distance so he might not fit on a team that wants to directional punt. He reportedly failed a drug test, and some scouts say his demeanor turns them off.

3. Jeff Locke, UCLA, 6-1, 209: He might have the strongest leg in the class. He also was a solid kickoff man in college. Locke has been a little inconsistent at times. A special teams coach said he has to clean up some of his technique and work on being more consistent with his drop.

4. Josh Hubner, Arizona State, 6-4, 232: He's a big guy who can boom it. But he might not always know where the kick is going. Hubner has done some directional punting.

Others

Ryan Doerr, Kansas State

Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State

Trey Barrow, Missouri

Scott Kovanda, Ball State

The Bears

With Robbie Gould kicking and Adam Podlesh punting, it doesn't appear the Bears are in the draft market at these positions. However, the Bears likely will look to sign an undrafted kicker and punter to provide training camp relief for them.